My good friend Jiri-chan, whom some of you might know over the net, got me addicted to Naruto. Unfortunately, when I like something, I have to write something. So here goes nothing. I just know the Naruto x Hinata fans are going to want to kill me.
War of Love
Prologue: The Present
"So you're from Hidden Waterfall, are you not?" Tsunade stated. "We don't really see too many of your fellow ninjas around here."
The young man gave a slight smile and shrugged. "What can I say? All of us have secrets."
"And your reason for being here?"
"I was invited by Hyuga-sama. Do I need another reason?"
Tsunade scratched her head and shook it. "No, I suppose not. If Hiashi thought you were trustworthy enough to invite you, I don't think I have any complaints either."
"Your trust in me is reassuring."
Tsunade looked at the young man before her but couldn't figure out whether he was being sarcastic or just plain naïve. But then again, a naïve ninja didn't live for long. This kid was a Chuunin, so that meant he had some talent.
"Well, I have no reason to hold you up any longer. Just don't try to pry into our secrets either and we'll leave yours alone."
"Very well, Tsunade-sama."
With a bow the young man turned and disappeared out the door. Tsunade sank back into her chair, a bit puzzled about the newcomer. Though he was a guest, he was also from another shinobi village. Only time would tell what was going on.
+Hyuga Residence+
Shin looked at the massive building in front of him and swallowed. Though he had been here when he was very young, seeing it again certainly did more justice than memory could ever accomplish. He stepped forward and took in everything around him. Every little detail helped him gain more insight into his present situation. When he crossed the threshold, two men appeared before him.
"Shin-sama, I presume?" one man asked.
Shin nodded. He looked closely at the two and took note of their white eyes. They were obviously members of the branch family, guardians of the Hyuga main family.
"Please come with us. Hiashi-sama is waiting for you."
With the two flanking him, Shin walked into the main house and proceeded down its hallways. The paper walls were decorated with artwork of animals and plants. Sunlight reflected off the floor and Shin felt very little dust. As expected, the Hyuga family was well off. They walked through the house and appeared out again in the garden. A few birds few through the air and insects buzzed about. A man in robes was standing in the grass looking down at the pond. The two guards bowed and walked off.
As he stepped forward, Shin imagined he could feel the chakra that the man possessed. It was rumored that the Byakugan could see anything, even the inner system of the body. This allowed the Hyuga family members to attack those systems, making them deadly opponents. No wonder his parents had agreed to this match.
"Hyuga-sama."
"Shin." The older man turned to face him. "You've certainly grown."
A small smile appeared but Shin didn't give away anything else.
"Do you know why I invited you?"
"I can venture a guess. It has to do with the arrangement. Why else would you invite me to spend time here?"
Hiashi nodded. "I want you to spend some time with Hinata. It will help make the transition easier."
"Very well than. Do you happen to know where she is right now?"
"Most likely training. Her skills need much refinement."
Hiashi turned away at that point, leaving Shin slightly confused. If Hiashi cared enough to summon him so he and Hinata could get to know each other better, why would he make a statement like that? The man either had ulterior motives or he was just really strict. Shin started wondering if he hadn't stumbled onto something he wasn't ready for. That would be rather troublesome.
Once out of the estate, Shin simply started walking around the village. It was rather big, especially for a shinobi village. He took note of a few places of interest and continued his little field trip. Finally, as the sun started to set, he went to the main gates and looked out from the battlements. From the people he had spoken to, it seemed that Hinata had been training outside. Most expected her to return by sundown so that was when he went to check things out. Indeed, it wasn't long before he saw four figures walking back. Focusing his eyes, Shin picked up the details of the approaching people. Two of them had white eyes, another had a dog by his side, and the last one was a kid with spiky blond hair.
Shin let another smile appear. The girl was obviously Hinata and the boy probably a member of the branch family. He didn't know who the others were and at the moment didn't care. Though if they were Hinata's friends, he would need to get to know them in the future. With a tap of his foot, Shin launched himself from the battlements and landed in front of the gates. When the four got closer, it was obvious that they didn't know what to make of him. There they were, on two opposing sides. All four of them simply stared at him, though the dog seemed a bit scared of him. Perhaps he smelled it.
As for the four Leaf shinobis, they really didn't know who the newcomer was. He wore a simple flak jacket but didn't have a head protector. If he was a shinobi, there was no telling which village he was from.
"Hey, so who is this guy?" Naruto blurted out, looking at his comrades.
Shin gave all of them a look before settling his eyes on Hinata.
"Hinata-hime, it's a pleasure to meet you again," he said with another small smile.
Naruto and Kiba turned their heads and looked over at a surprised Hinata, though Neji only stared at the newcomer.
"Umm, excuse me, but who are you?" Hinata asked softly.
"Well, I guess I can't expect you to remember me. After all, it's been thirteen years since we last met? It's me, Sentoki Shin."
A look of surprise lit across Hinata's face and Neji seemed to tense up. Since that didn't mean anything to Naruto and Kiba, they stood there staring at the three. Finally Naruto lost his patience and marched forward.
"So who are you?" he asked, putting his face in front of Shin's.
"I think I already told you my name. What else is there for me to say?"
Naruto pointed a finger at Shin and opened his mouth. "You're the stranger here. You're wearing a flak jacket and standing right in front of the gates. We don't even know what village you're from!"
"Naruto!"
The young ninja turned around and looked at Neji.
"Be quiet. You don't know anything about what's going on."
"Eh? So you know this guy?"
Neji nodded darkly and turned his head towards Hinata. "Hinata-sama, perhaps we should find a more private place to talk with him."
Slowly Hinata nodded. "Naruto-kun? Kiba-kun? I'm sorry, but this is kind of a private matter. Sorry."
The two looked at each other and Naruto shrugged. "If you say so, Hinata-chan. I'll see you tomorrow for training."
Hinata gave Naruto a smile and nodded. Since his return, the rookie nine had spent considerable time together. It was time that Hinata cherished as it allowed her to be with Naruto more. Some days all of them were together, while on others just a few of them. But Naruto rarely missed these training outings and Hinata did her best to be there as well.
As Naruto and Kiba walked past, Shin's left eye moved by itself and observed the two. For a moment, it flashed black. Akamaru yipped and jumped behind Kiba. The two paused and stared at Shin again but didn't notice any change. Though they now had good reason to be wary of him, what could they do?
"Hey, Hinata-chan, you sure you want to be alone with this weirdo?" Naruto asked.
"I'll be here," Neji reminded the blond.
Naruto shrugged and nodded. "Well, just make sure he doesn't try anything funny. He gives me a weird feeling."
Naruto being Naruto, he had said all this within Shin's hearing. But the young man didn't pay him much attention. If Naruto didn't like him right now, that was fine. He had other things to worry about. Once the other two had gone, he turned his attention back to Hinata.
"It's certainly been a long time," he said. "You've grown into a beautiful young woman."
"And that is why you are here?" Neji asked.
"I'm here by her father's invitation. Otherwise, I'd still be in my home training."
"Father? But why did he call you down?"
"According to him, he wanted to make the transition smoother."
Hinata gasped a bit while Neji's mood continued to darken.
"To make the transition easier?" he repeated. "And Hinata-sama has no say in such matters?"
Shin shrugged. "It was arranged by our parents, done before either of us could have put forward an opinion."
"And yet these things can be changed," Neji replied. His encounter with Naruto had certainly proved that quite pointedly.
"Are you Hinata-hime's spokesperson? Let her speak for herself."
Neji was taken aback by the comment and looked over to Hinata. She seemed uncertain as to what to do.
"All I ask is that I be given a chance before I'm condemned," he said. "That certainly sounds fair, does it not?"
"What reason does Hinata-sama have to give you a chance?"
Shin shrugged again. "It would make things go over easier with her father, I suppose."
The statement about her father brought Hinata out of her daze and her eyes focused.
"But why are you here, personally?" Hinata suddenly asked, her voice a lot stronger than Neji could remember in recent memory.
"Me? I just wanted to see you again. Either way, in another three years I would have come. However, I decided it might be better if we actually knew each other."
"So you're here to see whether you want to go through with it?"
"More or less." Shin shifted a bit on his feet and sighed. "Hinata-hime, I am here for my own personal reasons. I just ask for a chance to get to know you. But I can assure you, I won't give you up without a fight."
Dead silence reigned as even nature seemed to stop making sound. A flicker of black came over and disappeared from Shin's eyes, but this time both Hinata and Neji noticed it. Their eyes went a big wider as Shin smiled darkly.
"I think you finally understand why this arrangement was made, Hinata. Your father knows about my family and it was for purely political reasons. However, that is something I don't want. Thus, I want to look at you as my dear fiancée, not as a complete stranger."
Hinata took a step back but couldn't find any words to say. This was something she knew would come one day but hadn't wanted to face. Now there wasn't much of a choice in the matter.
"You want a chance?" Hinata asked quietly. "What are you going to do?"
"Nothing inappropriate," Shin assured her. "Just some time to be together. We really don't know each other."
"That's it?"
Shin nodded.
"Well, I guess that's okay."
"If you harm her, I'll kill you."
Hinata turned to Neji, her eyes wide with surprise. Shin cocked his head towards the young man but kept serious face.
"I have no doubt of that," he said. "However, the question is can you kill me."
"Don't doubt it."
"The Hyuga family members have the Byakugan, an ability that lets them see the inner system of chakra. This allows them to attack it, thus disabling their target's chakra and even killing them. It was the first thing I learned about the Hyuga family."
Neji and Hinata continued to stand there, one confident and the other slightly worried. Neither knew what Shin was leading up to.
"However, the Jyuuken is a close-combat fighting style. I don't suppose you know too much about my family's abilities."
"What are you saying?" Neji asked.
Shin took out a small knife and brandished it in the air. With a single motion, he sliced through the air and a crashing sound could be heard. From a nearby tree, Naruto and Kiba fell onto the ground.
"Ouch that hurt," Naruto muttered.
Seeing Naruto, Hinata quickly ran over and helped him up.
"Are you okay, Naruto-kun?"
"Oh, yeah!" Naruto replied cheerfully. "They always said I had a thick head. I guess it comes in handy sometimes."
"Next time you try to eavesdrop, do it on someone else," Shin said. "I don't want to hurt anyone, but I can't exactly let anyone overhear information they're not supposed to."
"Damn," Kiba muttered. "How did he know about us in the first place?"
"This guy's pretty good," Naruto said with his own smile. "Should be interesting to see how good he is."
"Naruto! Don't!"
"Huh? What's wrong, Hinata?"
"Please, don't start fighting," Hinata pleaded. "Just let me sort it out myself."
A hint of determination infected Hinata's voice and stopped Naruto. Finally, he nodded and smiled at her.
"Do what you have to, Hinata-chan. But remember, all of your friends are here to help you. Even dog-boy over there."
Hinata returned the smile and it only grew wider. Shin looked over the group and made his own assessments. Out of the people here, Naruto and Neji were the most powerful. Only time would tell if he was strong enough.
+Hyuga Residence+
The light of dawn was peeking over the horizon when Hinata woke up. She put on a robe and walked about, still sleepy. However, as a shinobi, she had to be able to wake early and train. As she came out onto the sparring grounds, a surprise was waiting for her.
Six logs were stood up in a random configuration. Shin stood at the center with his knife drawn. With a flick of his wrist, the blade sliced through the air and a deep gash appeared in one of the logs. Two more slices and the entire thing was in pieces. Hinata couldn't figure out what Shin was doing and activated her Byakugan. As she looked on, she still couldn't see a thing. Though there was chakra focused on the knife's edge, it wasn't being projected outwards. And yet Shin was able to destroy the target.
Hinata remained standing on the deck as Shin continued his training. She had seen him do something similar yesterday when he exposed Naruto and Kiba from their hiding spot. The thought of Naruto knowing about her engagement made Hinata feel uneasy. How could she ever tell Naruto how she felt now? Everything seemed to be falling apart.
"Good morning, Hinata-hime."
The greeting roused Hinata and she looked up at Shin. The young man before her was standing still, staring back. A gentle smile appeared on his face and he walked over.
"How are you?"
"I'm fine," Hinata replied. "Umm, when did you get up?"
"An hour ago. I haven't had breakfast yet. Care to join me?"
"Uh, I guess."
Shin chuckled and walked over to Hinata. "Life is too short to be uncertain, Hinata-hime. Grasp it with both hands lest it slip away."
"Where did you learn that?"
"My family. Now, care to join me?"
It was slow at first, but Hinata soon gave him a strong nod. The two walked back inside and proceeded to the dining room. Hiashi was already up along with Hinata's sister, Hanabi. Several servants walked in and placed dishes on the low table. As Shin and Hinata sat down two more servants walked in with their food.
"Hmm. Smells good. What is it?"
"It's fish," Hinata said.
Shin nodded and picked up his chopsticks. He seemed to pick at his food a bit and everyone looked over. After getting a piece of the meat, Shin sampled it and smiled.
"Your cooks are certainly impressive, Hyuga-sama."
"You should say that to them, Shin."
"Perhaps I will." Shin took a sip of the tea and sighed softly. "Hyuga-sama, might I ask a favor?"
"Ask."
"May I take Hinata-hime with me for some training?"
Hinata looked at Shin in surprise and glanced at her father. She had said she would give Shin a chance and the young man was certainly taking it.
"Where to?"
"There's a river outside of the village," Shin answered. "It's peaceful and we shouldn't be disturbed."
Hiashi nodded. "Very well then."
"Thank you, Hyuga-sama."
The rest of the Hyuga family finished breakfast quickly but Shin continued to pick at his food. After half an hour, he finally finished eating and left a very clean plate behind. Though he was slow, he was thorough. About a half hour later, as Hinata was running through her morning exercises, Shin showed up again. This time, he was wearing the familiar flak jacket. The only difference was the two fishing poles and basket.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
Hinata looked at him questioningly. "What are those for?"
"Training," he said. "What? You've never fished before?"
Hinata shook her head.
"Well, it's an enjoyable and relaxing sport. So c'mon."
"I'm not sure my father would consider it to be training."
"Haha. Well, to each his own. You coming?"
After a few more seconds of hesitation, Hinata nodded. "Umm, I can help carry some of that."
Shin regarded her for a few seconds himself before handing over the poles. Once outside the residence, he jumped onto a nearby roof and called out to her.
"Let's hurry," he said. "The day waits for no one."
The two raced off across the rooftops of the Hidden Leaf village. Shin stayed in the lead but he made sure Hinata kept up. They were out of the village in a few minutes and soon came to the river he had mentioned. Once they landed, Shin took in a deep breath.
"Nature is where we all came from, and from time to time it's nice to go back."
Shin sat down and opened the box. "Hand me one of the poles."
Once he had it in hand he pulled out something from the box.
"What is that?"
"Bait."
Once Shin had tied it on, he handed the rod back to Hinata. "Now try casting it."
"Umm, I'm not sure how."
"Just try. As they say, the first time is always the hardest."
"Did you learn that from your family as well?"
Shin chuckled. "Actually, my family isn't old enough to be the originator of that. Now, try."
Hinata looked at the pole and raised it. With a graceful arc she swung it backwards and then sent it flying forward. The string curved and slung itself, following her movements, before landing gently in the water. Slowly the bait sank below the surface.
"Now what?"
"You know you can sit down."
Hinata blushed a bit and sat down, though it wasn't too close to Shin. The young man fixed his bait onto the second pole and soon cast his line.
"You don't use live bait," Hinata commented.
"Oh, I don't like carrying around a box of bugs wherever I go. It's easier to use the fake stuff."
Hinata nodded. She found that she agreed with him. Though Shino had been on her team, Hinata would have felt awkward carrying around insects herself.
"Now let's do some training."
"Huh? How?"
Shin pointed at the water and Hinata followed with her gaze. "Though this water is clean, it still can be hard to see through it to find fish. Because you have the Byakugan, you can use it to see through and find things. See? It's training."
Hinata smiled. "You certainly have an interesting way, Shin-kun."
"Well, to each his own. Now try it and see if you can catch a fish."
With a nod Hinata closed her eyes and focused. As she opened them, the veins and arteries around her eyes began to swell as the Byakugan activated. She easily penetrated the water and could see the fish swimming about.
"What should I do?"
"Slowly move the bait towards the fish," Shin replied. "If you go too fast, they'll get scared away."
"O-okay."
Hinata watched her bait jitter in the water. With great care, she guided it slowly towards one of the nearby fish. It was a large one and within a few seconds took notice of the shining bait. The fish approached it and Hinata did her best to control her movements. At the last second, just as Hinata thought the fish would bite, another fish charged through and caused a large splash. Hinata's prey quickly turned tail and swam off.
Shin burst out laughing and shook his head. "Too bad. It looked like you would have gotten him. And it was a big one at that. It probably would have been enough for lunch."
"Umm, I'm sorry."
"What's there to apologize for? This is your first time and you're also training. There's no shame in messing up. You just have to learn from the experience. Well, that method obviously didn't work. Relax and let the fish come to you."
"Huh?"
Shin planted the end of his rod between two rocks and laid on his back. "Just relax a bit. Fishing takes patience and practicing that is also training."
Hinata smiled despite herself. Shin had a carefree spirit, though there was obviously a serious side as well. In fact, his carefree nature seemed like a toned down Naruto. Thinking of the blond-haired ninja made Hinata lose her smile as she too laid down. The only sound between the two of them was the rustling of the leaves. Finally Shin broke it.
"So who were those people you were with yesterday?"
"Huh?"
"Those three other shinobis you were with yesterday. One of them is related to you obviously, but I don't know who the others are."
"Oh. Neji-niisan is my cousin. He's a jounin and a member of the branch family. But we're close."
"A jounin? Hmm. I probably shouldn't have gotten him mad than."
"It's okay," Hinata quickly said. "Neji-niisan won't do anything rash."
"Well, from what he said, I wouldn't blame him if he did go after me. But we're digressing. Who was the guy with the dog?"
"That was Kiba, and the dog is Akamaru. Everyone in the Inuzuka clan has a dog partner."
"I see. Is he a good friend?"
Hinata nodded. "We were on the same Genin team in the past. He's a Chuunin and very strong too."
"I see. Your village certainly has some unique individuals."
"What about your home, Shin-kun?"
"We'll get there. There's one last person that I have to ask about."
Hinata bowed her head a bit and clutched her legs. "Uzumaki Naruto."
If Hinata was paying attention, she would have noticed Shin's eyes turning black for a second again.
"I see. Is he special to you?"
"Huh? What?" The look of bewilderment on Hinata's face said it all.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, I won't hate him just because you like him."
"Oh. Well, see, umm…" Hinata drifted off and soon became silent.
Shin sighed and turned his head towards Hinata. "Hinata-hime, I know it's hard to say these things. But I must ask one thing of you. Please don't compare me to Naruto."
Hinata met Shin's gaze and saw the honesty behind them. Besides that, there was compassion and a hint of wisdom. Whoever Shin really was, Hinata was starting to believe that he was a good man.
Just as she was about reply, a tug pulled her attention to the pole in her hands.
"Ah!"
"Calm down," Shin immediately said. "Don't try to pull the fish out of the water like that. Give it some slack to fight, or else you'll snap the string."
"Okay!"
Hinata stopped pulling back and started letting the fish get some movement. Whatever it was, the fish was strong. It thrashed about in the water and kept trying to get free.
"Let the fish wear itself out," Shin said to her. "Use your Byakugan to watch it. React accordingly to where it tries to move."
Focusing, Hinata was soon seeing a large fish under the water. It was swimming about, turning around in the water and racing in circles almost trying to get free. Hinata felt slightly sorry for the fish but she kept her grip steady. After what seemed like an eternity she felt the pull weaken and with a heave, pulled it out of the water. Droplets sprinkled after the fish and it landed on the grass, thrashing from the lack of breathable oxygen. Shin let out a low whistle as he walked over to the fish.
"Nice catch, Hinata-hime."
Hinata blushed at the compliment and watched as Shin grabbed the fish. He somehow kept a grip on the slimy scales and opened the fish's mouth. After a few seconds, Shin removed the hook and to Hinata's surprise threw her catch back into the river.
"We'll give that guy another chance," he said. "If we catch him again, well, he'll be lunch."
"But how would we know if we catch him again?" Hinata asked.
"Oh, I'll know." Shin chuckled and wiped his hands on a towel. "As to why I let him go, well, this is training. We're not here to actually catch food, though I'm sure some people would have been delighted to have him for lunch."
"I see."
Shin laid down again and gazed at the sky. "Now where were we? Ah, your friends. Surely you must have more than that."
"Oh, well, there's Shino of the Aburame clan. We were in the same class and also on the same Genin team. He can be rather serious and very smart. And, umm, Choji of the Akimichi clan. He likes to eat a lot," Hinata added with a little laugh.
"Hmm. Interesting." After a few seconds of silence Shin looked over at her. "Please continue."
"There's also Ino, of the Yamanaka clan. She was on Choji's team. Ino has a lot of spirit. Oh! And Shikamaru of the Nara clan. Shikamaru is really smart, though he doesn't like to be bothered. He likes to play Shougi. We were called the rookie nine."
"Interesting. I'll have to challenge him to a game. It's been a long time since I've played anyone good. Anyone else?"
"Oh. Well, Rock Lee was Neji-niisan's teammate, and he's a taijutsu specialist. He's done some incredible things. Tenten was their third teammate and she specializes in throwing weapons."
"So long range combat?"
Hinata nodded. "Yes. According to Neji-niisan, she rarely ever misses."
"Is that so? Your village certainly has some interesting individuals. By the way, you said the Rookie Nine. But you just named more people."
With a smile Hinata agreed silently. "Neji-niisan, TenTen, and Rock Lee aren't part of the nine. The last member is Haruno Sakura-chan. She's training under Hokage-sama to become a medical ninja. Sakura-chan's control over her chakra is perfect."
For a second Hinata fell silent and Shin glanced over again. "Something wrong?"
Hinata shook her head. "No, nothing."
Though he didn't believe it, Shin didn't press on. There were always other ways to figure things out. It either had to do with this Sakura or perhaps there was someone else she didn't want to mention. Considering this made the count eight, it was probably this ninth person she was hesitant about.
"Hey, Hinata-hime."
"Huh?"
"Do you consider your friends important?"
"Of course!"
Shin raised an eyebrow at the forcefulness of her statement but Hinata only gave him a determined look. He smiled and nodded.
"That's good to know."
"What about you, Shin-kun? You must have some friends that are close to you."
Shin shrugged. "Not really. Members of my family aren't allowed contact with the outside world until we gain control over our bloodline limit."
"Huh? Why?"
"You could say it's our curse," Shin replied. "Though we are bestowed great power, it is something that is difficult to control. We can accidentally kill someone in our childhood, when we really have no way of controlling it."
"That's sad."
"Hmm?"
"That you didn't get to have friends. My friends are the ones that helped me improve."
"Oh, I guess you can call my siblings my friends. My brothers and sisters were my main companions. We trained together, played together, and learned together."
"How many siblings did you have?"
"Twelve."
Hinata's eyes went wide. "Wow."
"My mother was an amazing person. She raised all of us and was our guiding light."
Suddenly Shin stood up and pulled his line out of the water. Hinata quickly followed his example.
"Well, are you warmed up?"
"Huh?"
"You've already used your Byakugan. That was just the warm-up. Shall we do some real training now?"
"Umm, okay."
Shin smiled. "Don't worry about hurting me, Hinata-hime. So don't hold back."
The wind swept across the grass as the two stood before each other. Shin remained in his current posture while Hinata relaxed into the Jyuuken stance. After one last look passed between their eyes, Shin nodded.
"Begin!"
End of Prologue
We'll see how this goes. And if people come after me for it.
Z98